


Distracted

by sokkamizuki



Category: Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons Series (Video Games), 牧場物語つながる新天地 | Story of Seasons (Video Game 2014)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Picnics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:54:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27345409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sokkamizuki/pseuds/sokkamizuki
Summary: Raeger knew more than anyone that a chef needed complete and other focus whenever they were cooking. They had to cook a million things at different times, knew how much seasoning a dish needed, and how long each meal took before they were ready. Raeger had cooked this dishes a millions times before, and he was ready to cook them a million times before.But he found it rather hard to cook when all he could think of was Fritz.| Part of the Bokumono Eall 2020 Exchange |
Relationships: Fritz/Raeger (Story of Seasons)
Kudos: 10
Collections: Bokumono Exchanges





	Distracted

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ShinkengerRedBlue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShinkengerRedBlue/gifts).



> (flops on the ground) I'm a bit late, but this is my piece for the Bokumono Fall Exchange, for one Shinkengerredblue! Thank you and the mods for being patient with me; these past few days have been a mess, but then again, that's 2020 in a nutshell. But thankfully, we have an abundance of Story of Seasons fics to keep us occupied!
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Congrats to everyone who participated in the event; this was really fun and nice to do!

  
As Raeger stared down the molten remains of a molten lava cake, its usually gooey center blackened to a crisp while a most putrid and smokey emanated from it, he began to wonder if some of Fritz’s luck had rubbed off at him. 

Logically, that didn’t make sense, and logically, Raeger knew this. Just because Fritz stuck by him all hours of the day didn’t mean that some parts of his luck transferred over to him. That’s not how that worked, first of all, and secondly… well, no, _that’s just not how it worked!_ One didn’t simply, get bad luck by interacting with someone else! It didn’t make any sense, and Raeger refused to believe that was the case, let alone blame Fritz for all this.

… But how else was he supposed to explain these careless mistakes? 

Adding too much milk, adding too little milk, adding in duck eggs instead of chicken eggs for the cake batter, _dropping_ the cake batter onto the clean floors, adding too much milk (again), burning the cucumber sandwiches, forgetting to put the apple cider vinegar in the apple cider vinegar dressing… and now. This. A very sad, but most importantly, very burned lava cake.

Food waste of any kind was upsetting. But food waste on an important date—for a literal _date_ —only made Raeger more distraught.

It’s not like he was feeling ill. Just the mere thought of being ill made Raeger frown, a hand moving up to press up against his forehead. He didn’t feel too warm, or too weak, or even all that famished… No, no, it wasn’t because he was sick. 

Was he distracted? It was rare that Raeger let his mind wander off while cooking, especially now, when he didn’t have to juggle a dozen orders at once. It made no sense that he was too distracted to cook right… and, yet…

Raeger huffed in frustration, dumping the forsaken cake into the trash. No matter. He would sort out his difficulties later. For now, time was ticking away; it was already late afternoon and all Raegar had to show for lunch was some hush puppies, pasta salad, and…. Some sliced apples. 

Raeger could do more. For him, he could do more. He took in a long, deep breath, his mind already racing to formulate a plan. Roasted corn didn’t take too long; Raeger could make that while working on a simple tomato soup, maybe a few crepes to go, with some refreshing mango juice to go along with—

_“Raeger!”_ a cheerful voice called out, followed by the sound of the front bell ringing. “I hope you’re ready to head out because I sure am!”

Well. His plans went up in flames, hadn’t it… Maybe Fritz’s luck _had_ rubbed off him…

“Fritz.” There was a hint of panic in Raeger’s voice that he desperately tried to suppress. He was all smiles when Fritz came in through the kitchen, conveniently stepping in front of the trash can, for no particular reason. “You’re earlier than expected.”

From the bead of sweat running down Fritz’s forehead, Raeger wagered a guess that he was in a rush to get over here. Most of his appearance seemed a bit disheveled as if he had gotten ready in a hurry—one sleeve was pushed up higher than the other, his hair hadn’t been parted all the way like usually, only one button was put together on his vest… Even his scarf looked tighter than usual. 

“You didn’t have to rush all the way over here.” His hands reached up, and Raeger carefully, delicately almost started to fix up Fritz’s attire. He buttoned up the farmer’s vest until it was on nice and secure, reached up to loosen his scarf, and even ran his fingers through Fritz’s lovely red locks—always careful, taking his time without even realizing it. “Even if you were running late, I would have waited the rest of the day for you.”

He could see Fritz’s cheeks turn a shade pinker, almost matching the color of his hair, as the young man averted his gaze. “You can’t blame me for wanting to come early!” the farmer said. “Better early to rise than late to arrive, y’ know? Plus, the earlier we get to our spot, the longer we can stay out. Don’t you agree?”

Always the optimist, Raeger noted. It was nothing sure of endearing, though; it made his smile grow one size bigger, his expression softening. “I guess you’re not wrong,” he conceded as he finished up. “I appreciate it, nonetheless. And I could always do with your company.”

Whatever sheepishness Fritz had a few seconds ago was almost entirely gone by now, and that familiar bright spark returned to his eyes. “Alright! Let’s get going then!”

That managed to wipe the smile off Raeger’s face in an instant. “Right now?” he said.

“Right now!” Fritz repeated with oblivious glee. “Come on, I’ll help you pack all the snacks you made! The sooner we can get out, the better. Now… where are they?”

It was Raeger’s turn to look sheepish, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks as he pointedly looked away from Fritz. He had never felt quite so… _embarrassed_. “It’s…” Raeger started to say, trying to work up whatever excuse his mind could make up on such short notice. “It’s… on the counter.”

Raeger still could not bear to look at Fritz, but he knew that the farmer had looked at the counter, expecting a grand feast, or at least, a filling lunch for the two of them. But, instead—there was nothing but disappointment. Hopeless, soul-crushing disappointment, in the form of sliced apples and a pasta salad. 

Not the hush puppies, though, he did an excellent job with those. “I’m not sure what happened,” Raeger went on, shame and guilt rolling deep within his stomach. “I’m better than this, I know I am, but… Today, it felt like every little thing went wrong. If I didn’t underseasoned it, I overseasoned it—and if I didn’t season it at all, then it came out raw. And then when I _did_ season it correctly, then it came out burned, and if it didn’t come out burned then… well, you get the issue.”

He let out a frustrated sigh, glancing behind his shoulder at the trash. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me today, but… I’m sorry, Fritz. I wish I could offer you something better than three meager meals. If it’s alright with you, then we could always schedule this for another day—”

“Why?”

That wasn’t the response Raeger was expecting. He finally turned to face Fritz, surprised to see… well, how surprised the farmer was too. “What?”

“Why would I want to reschedule?” Fritz asked, just as confused as Raeger was. “If all I wanted to get out of today was your food, I can just come to your restaurant at any time. But that’s not why I’m here. I’m here for you.”

Fritz smiled in such a way that seemed to light up the whole room. It was dazzling, as bright, as _warm_ as the sun itself, managing to leave Raeger breathless every time. “We can still have a fun time without some fancy snacks,” Fritz went on. “If it matters that much to you, then I’ll keep you company while you’re cooking. But don’t do it for me, alright? Heh, knowing me, I’ll probably end up doing more looking than eating anyways!”

_How could he say all that without being the least bit flustered?_

Raeger would never understand… But he didn’t mind it. “If you insist,” he finally replied, managing his own smile. “Then we’ll do without all my fancy snacks. I’ll cook you a lovely feast one day, though—maybe for dinner?”

“Dinner? Just for me? I’m the luckiest man in town!” Fritz beamed at the thought of dinner (as if they didn’t eat dinner together every other day), his eyes sparkling. “I’ll hold you to it, then! But first—let’s get everything packed up!”

Fritz was barely done with that sentence before he hopped to work, wasting no time in packing up all three of their snacks… Although not before popping one of the hush puppies into his mouth. 

From how cheery that ‘hm!’ was, he seemed to like them.

…

“Fritz… When you checked the weather channel, you’re sure they called for sunny?”

“Hm… I’m pretty sure!” Fritz tapped his chin with his free hand, glancing up at the sky. The decidedly cloudy sky, Raeger noticed one that seemed to be darkening by the second. “It could just be a passing cloud… Or, a lot of passing clouds.”

His answer didn’t… _completely_ deter Raeger. But it worried him nonetheless. Once the stress of having a substandard lunch passed away, the weather seemed to occupy his mind for now. Ever since they had left the restaurant and started to walk to their picnic spot, the sun was shining less and less, and the air seemed more humid than usual. The clouds had gone from light and ashy grew to darker, more bleak colors, and there was hardly anyone wandering outside today.

Expect for him and Fritz.

It’s not as if Raeger didn’t trust Fritz’s words; he knew the farmer well enough to know that he probably _did_ check the weather that morning. He just… wondered if maybe, Fritz checked the weather for _today_. “You’re positive?” Raeger asked, as the last bit of sunlight was hidden away by another dark cloud.

“100%!” Fritz answered again. “I’m more positive than a quadruple A battery! No—quintuple A battery!”

“But aren’t those… Never mind.” He would explain how batteries work another day. For now, Raeger would have to place his trust in Fritz’s memory for now. 

And the Goddess’ mercy.

It was not a long trek to their picnic spot, thankfully. It was a nice little grove near the Forst Road, surrounded by wonderfully vibrant trees, brightly colored flowers, and a variety of lively, friendly wilderness animals (including a panda that Raeger had long since stopped wondering about). It was a beautiful area, a perfect place for a picnic with Fritz.

And yet, Raeger found it difficult to enjoy all the lovely sights while the sky grew darker and darker, and something of a low rumble seems to emit from the clouds.

But Fritz was not deterred. He continued marching along with easy confidence and an excited demeanor, practically dragging Raeger along by the hand once the perfect spot was found. “Here! This is the spot I was talking about! Perfect, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Raeger readily agreed, prying his eyes away from the sky to look at Fritz’s cheerful expression. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight; he could never grow tired of it, of him. “I understand why you wanted to pick this spot. I couldn’t imagine a better place for the picnic.”

Fritz’s practically _beamed_ at the compliment, smiling so wide and bright that Raeger found it hard _not_ to smile with him. It was hard to worry about the clouds when Fritz was smiling like that, right in front of him. It was a distraction from the real problem, sure… but it was a nice distraction.

With so little food in their basket, setting things up for the picnic took no time at all. He let Fritz lay out the blanket first before Raeger sat down on it, placing a rock in each of the corners so that the wind wouldn’t get in their way. He did that, and Fritz started to get their food out; he settled a plate and a bowl in front of each other before taking out the counters, sneaking (a fourth) bite of the hushpuppies, in a totally discreet manner.

(One that definitely didn’t make Raeger chuckle in amusement).

“See?” Fritz said. “We can definitely still have a nice time together! Who needs a whole bunch of food when we’ve got plenty of snacks right here?”

“Four fewer snacks,” Raeger noted with a bit of teasing tone as he got himself comfortable. “I should have made more of them for you. I didn’t know you would like them so much.”

“Of course, I like them! I like everything you cook, Raeger.” Fritz looked away, too bashful to keep his gaze on him as his face turned a bright red. “I know I’ll never be able to cook as good as you do… But, maybe one day, I’ll be _almost_ as good. Just so I get a chance to cook for you!”

“That sounds lovely. I’ll have to wait until then. But I already know I’ll love whatever it is you’ll make me.” His words were nothing more than sincere and genuine, spoken from the heart as every compliment of his was. The fact that it only made Fritz’s cheeks go brighter and brighter and made him hide his smile behind his scarf was just a nice bonus.

Raeger leaned forward and gently tugged Fritz’s scarf down, just so he could see his smile in its entirety. “You’ve been eating hushpuppies ever since you spotted the food,” Raeger teased, noting the leftover crumbs scattered around Fritz’s mouth. “Eat an apple slice at least. They practically took me all morning to make.”

“All morning?” Fritz replied, managing to keep his voice steady despite looking like a tomato. “Well, you did spend all your time on it… I guess I should try a slice, at least. I _guess_.” 

“Hm, alright. Let me get you one.” Raeger leaned away from Fritz and moved towards the little container of apples, reaching out for it—

And that’s when he felt it—a single drop, landing right at the back of his hand. Followed by one at the top of his head, and another on his back, one at his forearm, one at his wrist— “Oh dear.”

The rain came pouring down before Raeger knew it. 

It was a quick rainfall, not necessarily a heavy one… But, it was unexpected all the same. Raindrops fell and fell, splashing around them— _on them_ , Raeger realized, just as he realized that his shirt was getting drenched and that water was building up in the containers and the basket, and that Fritz’s hair was—“Fritz—”

Fritz was already up on his feet, and the farmer pulled Raeger up to his feet as well, holding him by his hand. He took Raeger’s hand, and without the slightest bit of hesitation, Fritz dragged him over to the nearest tree with the biggest leaves to offer. He pulled Raeger in closer, their backs against the tree, their shoulders touching, and standing so close to one another, Raeger could still feel the warmth radiating off Fritz’s body.

They stood underneath the tree, shielded by the heavy rain, and watched as it all came pouring down. From their spot, Raeger could still see the picnic—and he could see the animals as they started to take an interest in the food.

Undeterred by the rain, the animals had their own little picnics. The weasels bopped for the apple slices, more than happy to feast on them; one of the foxes carefully snuck away with a few hushpuppies in his mouth, while the others were content to eat them in the rain. And the mysterious panda helped himself to the pasta salad, hardly bothered by the underwhelming taste or the overwhelming sogginess to it.

“I…” Raeger could hear Fritz’s voice, shaking. “I’m—Raeger, I’m so sorry—” But before Fritz could finish his sentence, it was too late.

Raeger was laughing. 

He felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach, his heart beating a few beats faster than usual, and Raeger felt so _warm_ and _happy._ He couldn’t stop himself from leaning; it came out so naturally, without him even realizing it at first, and Raeger couldn’t stop it. He laughed and he laughed, while one arm looped itself around Fritz’s waist and brought him closer until Raeger could press a kiss to his temple.

“We must have done something—phbt! Hah, I’m, sorry, I’m sorry—w-we must have done something to upset the Goddess,” Raeger barely managed to say, his lips brushing up against Fritz’s cheek. “How unlucky we are.”

It was a while before he heard Fritz’s response; his laughter might have been a little too surprising. But eventually, he could hear Fritz sigh, almost comically loud and long, and Raeger could feel an arm go around his shoulders. “My darn luck is rubbing off on you,” Fritz murmured. “We’re spending too much time together…”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Raeger easily replied, kissing his cheek one more time. His brief fit of laughter was already dying off, but his smile was as big as it could possibly be. “If our lives together are going to be unlucky, then that’s more than fine. I’d rather be unlucky for the rest of my life than be without you.”

Fritz sighed again, even more comically loud than before, but Raeger could see how the corners of his lips kept twitching up as he fought back a smile. “At least the food won’t go to waste.”

“At least,” Raeger agreed. “At least someone likes that dull pasta salad.”

“Hey, I would have liked it!” Fritz said with a huff. “I told you, I like all of your cooking! Even if it was burned to a crisp, I would have wolfed it down!”

“I would rather just make you a new dish by then... But, I appreciate the thought.” A third kiss was planted down, this one going at the top of Fritz’s head. “I know today didn’t go quite as planned, for either of us… But, thank you for such a wonderful time.” One more kiss. “How about we rush to your place, get dry, and then I’ll make your favorite soup to warm us both up?”

That was one way to get a smile on Fritz’s face… But, the farmer seemed to be ‘thinking’ it over, his head tipping this way and that as he ‘hmmed about it. “Hm… In a bit.” Fritz’s started to return Raeger’s kisses in kind, pressing one to his jaw, and then his cheek, and then finally, a quick peck on the lips. “Let’s stay here together, just for a little longer…”

“For you? Gladly.”


End file.
